Hacker Cinema
RBG
2018 · Film · documentary · 98 min
Directed by Betsy West, Julie Cohen
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg now 84, and still inspired by the lawyers who defended free speech during the Red Scare, Ginsburg refuses to relinquish her passionate duty, steadily fighting for equal rights for all citizens under the law. Through intimate interviews and unprecedented access to Ginsburg’s life outside the court, RBG tells the electric story of Ginsburg’s consuming love affairs with both the Constitution and her beloved husband Marty—and of a life’s work that led her to become an icon of justice in the highest court in the land.
3 positive1 neutralfrom 4 commenters
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4 comments on Hacker News
> Nearly a third of the state’s residents are Black. However, the Republicans … drew the congressional districts in such a way that Black voters had a majority in only one out of six districts.
That’s the expected outcome in the absence of racial discrimination. If a group is 1/3 of the state population, and you divide it into districts, you’d expect the population to be 1/3 in each of those districts as well.
> In his opinion, Justice Samuel Alito, a member of the court’s conservative majority, argued, that the category of “race” should not play a role in government decisions.
Yes, absolutely. This is a core principle, and a necessary principle in a multi-racial democracy. Especially one like ours, which has no majority race any longer.
> This argument about a “color-blind” Constitution always surfaces in the U.S. context whenever there is an attempt to roll back social progress.
Creating race-based voting districts is the opposite of social progress.
> It ignores the fact that the Constitution was not written to be “color-blind,” but rather to discriminate deliberately.
It wasn’t, then we fought a big war, and we got the 14th amendment, which was designed to be color blind. It was designed to protect the interest of minorities in being treated identically without regard to race. So was were the Civil Rights Laws.
You should watch the movie “RBG.” Justice Ginsberg built her career was a lawyer advocating to interpret the laws regarding sex discrimination in exactly the same way Justice Alito interprets the laws regarding race discrimination. She represented men challenging laws that purportedly discriminated in favor of women. Her argument was the laws say “equal,” and they mean what they say. They don’t permit discrimination in either direction.
> As if the racism that runs through the history of the United States had suddenly vanished
Supporting color blindness doesn’t require presuming that racism has “vanished.” Rather, it’s based on the principle that two wrong’s don’t make a right. What happened in the past doesn’t justify applying race-based government policies in the present.
Note that racial discrimination in drawing district lines remains illegal! But the lack of majority-minority districts isn’t evidence of racism, it’s how minorities work as a mathematical matter.
After watching a 2018 documentary on Ruth Bader Ginsburg and seeing her work as a lawyer in the 70's, fighting and making and winning cases for pure social justice in the highest court of the land, RBG became an instant hero to me.
She will always inspire me, here or not, to fight for justice and what my conscience tells me is right. I have a great deal to say and a great deal to fight for. When it gets tough, she will be there to keep me standing.
Thank you, Ruth, for being such a fully self-actualised individual. You have shown the way. I am forever grateful.
A giant has fallen.
I'm somewhat curious how much deference and respect the administration will grant her. Basically how many days before they start pitching their nominee.
Edit: Fwiw, the RBG movie about her is on Hulu now.
Sad day, she was a champion of the people - a fighter for both women's rights and civil rights. Her iconic status was earned. Would recommend the 2018 documentary "RBG" for anyone interested in her life and career.